Emplifi: Gen-Z Wants More Out of Their Social Shopping Experiences

Generation Z is the largest demographic group when it comes to online shopping and social commerce. However, according to new research from customer experience platform Emplifi, they are not satisfied with their experiences. Emplifi conducted a survey of more than 1,000 consumers in the U.S. to learn more about what they expect from their social media experiences and interactions with brands, as well as how social media marketers can adjust their strategies to meet those expectations. The company found that 70% of Gen Z respondents do not feel that they are undergoing an excellent customer experience when completing purchases on social media. Two out of three respondents prefer to use social media during the buying process in order to ask questions, make purchases and seek post-purchase customer support. By platform, Emplifi found that younger age groups gravitated toward Instagram (65%) and TikTok (51%), while Facebook was more popular among Generation X (76%), and Twitter and YouTube were consistent across age groups. The company stressed that these findings “underscore the importance of factoring in age when shaping buyer personas and CX initiatives into social media strategies.” The company found that 56% of respondents believe customer-service quality has a larger impact on brand perception. When asked to choose one factor that drives brand perception the most, the top two responses were 24/7 customer service availability (29%) and quick response times (28%). Emplifi chief experience officer Shellie Vornhagen said in a statement, “Communication preferences change with time, which poses an immense challenge for brands whose product or service serves multiple generations. The key for brands to truly excel at CX is to expand care and marketing programs into the channels where their customers are active and, increasingly, that’s social media. Social continues to pull away as the consumers' choice, and the companies that will succeed are those who follow their customers' lead and embrace social, as well.” She added, “It’s no longer enough to use social media to provide care. Consumers are looking to social media not only to research and purchase products, but also for post-purchase care. Companies need to adopt an ‘always on’ approach and scale their efforts to provide a seamless experience on the platforms on which their customers are. We’re fortunate to live in an age where this is possible. The tech is there. Now, we just need brands to get on board.”